Alaska Airlines is asking travelers to Fill Before You Fly to reduce inflight plastic waste. Members of Alaska’s Green Team were at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to launch the initiative, handing out reusable water bottles.

To extend the initiative’s impact, Alaska Airlines has partnered with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. The Foundation will plant a tree for every passenger who brings a prefilled water bottle on an Alaska flight and posts it to social media with the hashtag #FillBeforeYouFly.

The goal is to plant 1 million trees on the West Coast to help reduce pollution and restore habitats for local fish and wildlife.

This is the latest in the airline’s sustainability efforts to reduce per-passenger inflight waste going to landfills by 70% by 2020.

Filling up reusable water bottles beforehand makes sense as airlines have a limited amount of water on board. You can often wait a long time for the crew to come around offering water.

So it’s better to have your own to stay hydrated when you need it. The extra benefit of carrying a personal water bottle is that it’s a tangible reminder to hydrate regularly. Staying hydrated is vital for inflight wellness.

The #FillBeforeYouFly initiative is one of the ways Alaska Airlines strives to “Fly Greener.”

In 2018, Alaska Airlines became the first major American airline to replace single-use straws and citrus picks. The airline opted to use marine-friendly alternatives, in partnership with ocean-friendly incubator Lonely Whale.

“Our ultimate goal is to work together with our guests and employees to improve the health of our water by reducing plastic use,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska Airlines’ VP of external relations.

According to the Lonely Whale, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050:

“Our ocean is full of otherworldly creatures. But can you imagine what kind of world the ocean will look in 2050, when scientists have predicted there will be more plastic (by weight) than fish in the ocean?

The sad reality is that plastic pollution is becoming the new normal beneath the sea. Already, there are more microplastics than stars in the galaxy and evidence of increased plastic ingestion by marine animals is growing, particularly in seabirds where plastic is projected to have been ingested by 99% of the species by 2050.”

What do you think of the #FillBeforeYouFly campaign?

We’re excited to spread the word about Alaska Airlines’ #FillBeforeYouFly campaign. Tag #FillBeforeYouFly and #ITravelWell to share photos of your favorite reusable water bottle. Together we can make a positive difference for our earth!